Reliving the Legacy of Wrestlemania in WWE 2K14

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2K reveals more about its epic Wrestlemania tribute in WWE 2K14.

By Richard George

Within the wrestling community, Wrestlemania is something special. For wrestlers it is the culmination of a year’s hard work. Being able to perform in a Wrestlemania is the equivalent of being in a World Series. Participating in a Wrestlemania event is like winning a Superbowl. It is the pinnacle of the industry. The show to end all shows.

For fans, Wrestlemania is just as significant, albeit from a different perspective. Incredible matches and moments occur all throughout the year, but the prominence, power and promotion of a Wrestlemania means its happenings are always remembered. Everyone recalls the three times ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin squared off with The Rock at Wrestlemanias 15, 17, and 19. Few would be able to tell you about the many, many times they fought in various other Pay Per Views and rematches. That’s why Wrestlemania matters. That’s why it endures. It signifies the end of feuds and the beginning of eras. It manages to, by virtue of its standing, change careers and live forever.

That’s a lot of power hosted in one event that happens just once a year, which is why it’s worth celebrating and remembering. With Wrestlemania 30 fast approaching, 2K has chosen to look back on the previous 29 installments in WWE 2K14’s “30 Years of Wrestlemania” mode. As a successor to WWE ’13’s excellent Attitude Era mode, ‘30 Years’ has a lot to live up to, not to mention the fact that it has more diversity to represent. The Attitude Era more or less spanned a half dozen years, depending on who you ask. Wrestlemania started just as Hulk Hogan was rising to his highest heights, and continues into today’s roster, headlined by the likes of John Cena, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan.

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What’s worth understanding here is just how successful the WWE ’13 developers (back then under the guise of THQ) were in recreating the Attitude Era. In fact, through a mix of objective-based matches and WWE-produced video packages, that mode managed to summarize the power of the late ‘90s better than WWE did in a DVD set released later that year. The designers of that mode understand wrestling. They clearly love WWE. So for them to now pay tribute to Wrestlemania will likely result in great things. So far that’s definitely the case.

2K14’s Wrestlemania mode doesn’t mess with success. Much like its predecessor, this year’s single-player experience divides a large span of time into distinct chapters. In this case that means grouping Wrestlemania events into chronological segments like “Hulkamania Runs Wild” (the earliest ‘Mania events) and “The New Generation” (chronicling the rise of stars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels). All in all, 45 matches are contained within the main arc of the single-player path - meaning there are all sorts of unlockables to uncover.

Again, channeling what worked last year, matches operate on two levels. A primary objective - required for moving onto the next fight - is very basic, and usually consists of simply winning the match. But those wanting to discover the aforementioned unlockables will need to complete optional ‘Historical Objectives,’ which require more attention to detail, such as achieving certain damage levels or using a very specific weapon in a very specific way. Occasionally, to recreate iconic Wrestlemania moments, the developers will use quicktime events as a way of creating an interactive yet guided sequence. The flexibility in place here is fantastic. Don’t want to bother with historical accuracy or bonus items? Don’t worry about it. And if you do, the game is very clear about what’s necessary.

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There are a couple downsides to the way these ideas are implemented. First, in order to be transparent about objectives, both primary and optional, the developers effectively create an on-screen checklist for you to follow. It can be turned off, but there is something a bit clunky about the game painstakingly listing off tasks. It pulls you out of the recreation and the moment. Second, and this wasn’t as much of a problem last year, where matches tended to be grouped around specific characters, the sheer quantity of wrestlers involved in Wrestlemania’s best matches means you will be using a wide, wide range of stars. That means you are likely going to be learning entirely new characters from match-to-match. When an objective requires you to pull off a certain move, and you haven’t used a specific character yet, you’ll be stumbling around until you figure out what you’re doing. Plus you’ll more than likely end up playing characters that don’t interest you.

Still, 2K continues a fine tradition here, and finds clever ways of polishing everything from numerous gameplay tweaks to genius presentation adjustments. By far the best of these is the attempt to capture the appropriate visual styling of historical broadcasts, not just in terms of graphics packages, but placing grainy, muted filters over older Wrestlemania matches to simulate how television displays would have looked back then. 2K is also working with WWE to produce over 45 minutes of video recaps that will allow players to understand the context and backstory of each Wrestlemania, making every chapter relevant to all gamers, no matter their age or familiarity with WWE.

The Deadman.

In many ways the developers behind wrestling simulation games have the hardest job in the games industry. Wrestling might seem simple and stupid (and, to be honest, sometimes it is), but to attempt to recreate that in an interactive form is a monumental task. There is a complex subtlety to the sweeping themes and concepts behind wrestling, from the technical way moves are pulled off to the way characters are represented on TV and connect with fans. And that’s not counting the vast effort put into hours upon hours of weekly television broadcasts, from pyrotechnics to announcers.

All of that detail is immense, yet Wrestlemania pumps that up even more. The venues are bigger. The entrances are infinitely more elaborate. The matches themselves can be more complicated. Wrestlers risk and deliver more. This escalation just for the sake of one event speaks to how this industry views it. Wrestlemania elevates its industry into a production that is unlike anything else in the world. And 2K is attempting to bring gamers back to this legendary event’s finest moments. So far it’s working. Now let’s see what matches make the cut.